Estate agent arranged for a surveyor

[Oceanjules]

Hi to all surveyors! 
 

Can someone help me put my mind at ease please? Our estate agent has arranged for a surveyor to come and measure the floor area. There’s a lot of things running in my head when I received that information. Now, we are living in a block of flats which is owned by a private housing association. We have been living here for quite awhile now and we are not in arrears or anything. I asked my neighbour if they’ve received any phone call from the estate agent and it looks like we’re the only one. This building is looking tired, showing cracks inside and outside the house. 
 

Saying all that, why would a surveyor measure a floor area please? 
 

thanks in advance 

[markc]

Council tax! Our business premises are measured approx every 5 years. Quite common with blocks of flats and they often use a typical flat for the measure instead of doing them all

[Oceanjules]

?‍? Thank you so much!!! I can relax now. ??

[markc]

3 minutes ago, Oceanjules said:

?‍? Thank you so much!!! I can relax now. ??

No problem, council tax should really have read rateable value, nothing to  worry about as a tenant.

[Oceanjules]

I quickly done a lot of googling and all I could read was for selling. My anxiety skyrocketed! ?? Thanks again. 

[SteamyTea]

54 minutes ago, Oceanjules said:

Our estate agent has arranged for a surveyor to come and measure the floor area

The surveyor that measured my place double the size of it, somehow.

55 minutes ago, Oceanjules said:

This building is looking tired, showing cracks inside and outside the house. 

There may be better places to rent.

[Simplysimon]

what do you mean by 'our estate agent'?

[Oceanjules]

11 minutes ago, Simplysimon said:

what do you mean by 'our estate agent'?

Estate agent that manages the block of flats. 

[speedyplumer]

What do you mean. I am not understand.

[Carrerahill]

2 hours ago, Oceanjules said:

I quickly done a lot of googling and all I could read was for selling. My anxiety skyrocketed! ?? Thanks again. 

Even if they sell new landlord will likely leave tenants be, properties change hands all the time with little or no impact on tenants, yes sure not always but common enough.

 

You could also simply ask the factor (estate agent) why. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Carrerahill

[Carrerahill]

15 minutes ago, Oceanjules said:

Estate agent that manages the block of flats. 

The factor? Might be an "estate agent" business but does factoring too?

 

Factor may be renewing building insurance, loads of reasons, I have never rented domestically but they used to send all sorts of surveyors round to our business premises, asbestos registrar (waste of money, building was built after asbestos was banned), insurance survey, delap survey as the landlords sold up, fire risk survey, including inspecting our own PAT testing records etc. - you name it, people wanted to survey the place - we just let them get on with it. Didn't really care apart from a a chap doing a fire risk assessment for the landlords buildings insurance, who started to lecture us about storing paper drawings, he was also a cheeky git so I threw him out and told him to write his report. 

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Carrerahill

[Mr Punter]

They are acting as Managing Agents rather than Estate Agents.

[Oceanjules]

On 14/02/2022 at 11:33, Carrerahill said:

The factor? Might be an "estate agent" business but does factoring too?

 

Factor may be renewing building insurance, loads of reasons, I have never rented domestically but they used to send all sorts of surveyors round to our business premises, asbestos registrar (waste of money, building was built after asbestos was banned), insurance survey, delap survey as the landlords sold up, fire risk survey, including inspecting our own PAT testing records etc. - you name it, people wanted to survey the place - we just let them get on with it. Didn't really care apart from a a chap doing a fire risk assessment for the landlords buildings insurance, who started to lecture us about storing paper drawings, he was also a cheeky git so I threw him out and told him to write his report. 

 

Ok, the surveyor has just been. I asked him what the purpose of measuring the floor area is. He told me nicely that it’s one of the new requirements from the council for letting agencies. For them to have a licence, they will need to provide the floor area of the rental property. 

[SteamyTea]

11 minutes ago, Oceanjules said:

Ok, the surveyor has just been. I asked him what the purpose of measuring the floor area is. He told me nicely that it’s one of the new requirements from the council for letting agencies. For them to have a licence, they will need to provide the floor area of the rental property. 

They trust a nobhead estate agent to measure it.